I'd like to invest in a quality tripod head that can be used for photography AND glassing (with binoculars and a spotting scope).
I'm after something top quality that'll last many years. The head must have a butter smooth pan/tilt feature so that I can make small adjustments to the binos/scope without the image 'jumping'. It must also have a rock-solid locking feature (for camera/stills use).
A fluid head might be the best bet, but most of the cheaper fluid heads aren't built as well as the higher end video varieties - and the higher end ones are far too heavy (2kg's +).
Any ideas on what would work?
Would a quality ball-head with a pan feature, such as the RSS BH-55/BH-40 or Arca Swiss D4/Z1 work? Can these heads be set up in a way so that the friction controls on both the pan and tilt can be adjusted independently, and both be left unlocked at the same time? That way I can freely pan the binoculars/spotter on BOTH the vertical and horizontal axis without having to mess with any knobs?
Thanks.
